State Of Emergency: Massive Flooding In Quebec Forces Evacuations (Photos)
Beauceville, a town located about 75 km south of Quebec City, began flooding this morning. A large ice jam under a nearby bridge gave out at around 6 a.m. this morning, flooding a road along with many buildings.
Rescue operations are currently ongoing. Impressive footage of the flooding from local residents shows the extent of the damage. Officials have not seen water levels this high in over 25 years.
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TL;DR The Quebec town of Beauceville is trying to limit the flood damage that occurred when an ice jam gave out this morning.
Quebec has struggled with flooding in recent years. Officials have warned that as temperatures continue to rise, flooding will become more commonplace. You can look at the government of Quebec's website for more information on how to deal with a flood.
This morning, I witnessed the damage caused by high-levels of flooding in the Beauceville community. My heart goes… https://t.co/Fq7lPToneK— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦) 1555430396.0
Firefighters have had to use heavy equipment with platforms as well as inflatable rafts in places where the water levels are too high.
Les opérations de sauvetage sont commencées à Beauceville. Les camions avec passerelles sont déployés mais selon le… https://t.co/0DuKb68j6y— Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc (@Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc) 1555415613.0
Évacuations toujours en cour à Beauceville #inondations #rcqc https://t.co/Q46e2LRF6W— Pascal Poinlane (@Pascal Poinlane) 1555434132.0
Officials say that the river has been under close watch for the last two days. Water levels have not been this high since 1991.
Matters were further complicated by a gas leak which led to power cuts for over a third of the population. The city has officially declared a state of emergency.
Gas leak near Normandie restait want still causing power outage for 838/3551 clients in Beauceville https://t.co/ayxDmy9ULs— Catou MacKinnon (@Catou MacKinnon) 1555434868.0
The city is truly a terrible sight today:
Aperçu du paysage à Beauceville qui est en inondations majeurs depuis 6h05, ce matin. L'embâcle à la hauteur du pon… https://t.co/3Qydick2Tx— Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc (@Pierre-Alexandre Bolduc) 1555424779.0
Some residents are choosing to view this situation with humour, mourning the death of their favourite Subway's:
Emergency personnel are working extremely hard to restore power and rescue residents. We will update this story as more details become available.
